Can Gas Undo Nuclear Power?

By

Rebecca Smith

Jan. 29, 2013 7:38 p.m. ET

Back in the 1950s, nuclear power held out the promise of abundant electricity "too cheap to meter," or almost free. But today, U.S. utilities are encountering something they never expected: Some natural-gas-fired power plants are cheaper to run than nuclear units.

And that is leading some companies to consider shuttering their nuclear facilities.

In much of the U.S., nuclear plants compete head to head with power...